Process of treating silk



Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

HAIRY B. SMITH, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

- rnocnss or TREATING SILK.

1T0 Drawing.

To all'whom "it may concern:

' Be itknown that I. HARRY B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Albany, in the county of Albany-and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Silk, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process of treating silk, and more particularly to an im proved process of deguimning, bleaching and, if desired, bluing or suitably. coloring the silk.

One object of the invention is to produce a silk wh ch is soft and has a high lustre,

Another object of the invention is to provide a process of the character described which can be effectively carried on in a relatively short time with a corresponding saving in the cost of labor, materials and energy.

Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will appear more-fully in thefollowing detailed description and appended-claims. I

I have found it preferable'in my practice of the invention to pursue a detailed procedure substantially as follows, but I do not limit myself thereto as the invention may be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

The silk, for example either in the form of skeins or cloth, is placed in a bath of hot water preferably at about the boiling point. 'By this operation the silk gunr is softened and some of it goes into solution,

The duration of this treatment may, of course, vary witliin wide limits depending, for example, upon thetemperature of the' bath and the amount of gum. it is desired to remove from the silk. I have found that very satisfactory results may be obtained if this treatment is continued about twenty minutes. I

' The ,bath is now rendered effective to bleach the silk andcalso to further dissolve the silk gum. To this end a suitable agent,

preferably an alkaline oxidizing agent, is added to the bath. I, prefer to use peroxid of sodium as the alka ine oxidizing agent;

' but it is understood that any other oxygen liberating product which produces an alkaline solution, but preferably those corres ondin t6 the er salts. may be used D p i for example, percarbonate of sodium, perborate of sodium, or persulfate of sodium.

salt, such as sodium chloride.

Application filed March 8', mt. Serial No. 823,730.

' l-Vith this alkaline oxidizing agent I preferably employa soluble salt of an alkali or other' netal, preferably a soluble inorganic 7 Examples of other salts of metals that may be ,used are soda ash, silicate of soda, and phosphate of soda or a mixture of any of these salts.

The effect of the sodium, chloride or other soluble metal salts which may be used in place thereof is toprevent destructive faction of the alkaline bath upon the silk fibre. In

case the silk is dyed with a substantive dye inthe same bath, the alkali metal salt assists in the development and'fixation of the color-,

in matter on the fibre.

IBefore adding thealkaline oxidizing agent and the salt of the alkali metal to the bath a mixture of these substances is prefer ably first dissolved in coldwater. Very satisfactory results are obtained if the alkaline oxidizing agent, such as sodium peroxid, and the alkali metal salt, such as sodium chloride, .are used in equal proportions; but it. is to be understood that the be varied according to the substances employed, the amount of gum in the material, an

according to other conditions", which will be. known to those skilled in the art. The amount of the alkaline oxidizing agent and alkali metal salt employed. may. also amount of time the material is to be subjected to the bath containing the same. A

relative proportions of these substances may vary depending, for example, upon the bath which is too-strong in alkali will have v I a tendency to damage the silk fibre. I If the bath istoo weak in alkali an unnecessarily I long time will be consumed in the operation. 1 have found that very satisfactory results are obtained by employing, a mixture of sodiumchloride and sodiurnjperoxid equal in weight .to about 6% of the weight of the silkj material treated. It is to be understood of the bath is now preferably below the smaller b ng boint fer example', about 180 F., at the'r heati'ngand then with "the-addition of though any temperature up tO""tl'1e"bOiliDg"; heat to bring the bath (say in about half point y be mp oyed fl fifjt sls fig 0f th ,ii illihQl f l qfibqilprocess. The material is now treated in this After the necessary time of operation to ef- 5 bath preferably at first withieutifiirtheriheatyiifeefiithefiegumming, bleaching and dyeing, say for about a half hour. Heat istherenpon the bath is Withdrawn, Carrying with it some applied preferably tti bring' ehetempmmre or the gum-fem the silk, wher'ii pon t-he latagain tg aboutthe san eipoint as when the ter is Washed oil preferably with several 'of [alkaline "oxidizing agent and a v7 v l" nd flr i'eii.

w spiral arms lye iibe i enam re veral'w shings e xftion fof 'the dye vVforf"example aboutF1 he bath is' P? he d Wherent lidialkali ferabl e1 Without .destr be use l ght gr iir ib i pe 'firingfthe aetion ofthe-batlf hereon. While the bath is preferably in the liquid preferably part of the time Without furadding an acid to the bath, and subjectin the silk to the bath with the acid adde thereto.

18. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to a hot bath having added thereto an alkaline oxidizing agent and a dye which is not adversely affectedby said agent to'degum, bleach and dyethe silk in the same bath, and rendering the bath slightly acid and subjecting the silk to the action of the-acidified bath.

19. The process of treating silk which comprises degumming and bleaching the same in a bath to which peroxid of sodium and a soluble alkali metal salt havebeen added to an amount equal weight to a and to an amountequal in weight to ap proximately 6% of the weight of the silk treated. 1

In testimonywhereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HA B. SMITH.

err

ance and strong.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Ser. No. 544,651, filed March 17, 1922, entitled Improvements in process of dyeing silk; and I am including in this case claims on the subject matter common to that and this application.

It is to be understood that bluing is included in the word dyeing as used in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The process which comprises treating silk in a hot Water bath to remove some of the gum from the silk into the bath, and thereafter adding an alkaline oxidizing agent to the bath and bleaching and further degumming the silk in the bath.

2. The process which comprises treating silk in a hot water bath to remove some of the gum from the silk into the bath, and thereafter adding peroxide of sodium to the bath and bleaching and further deguniming the silk inthe bath.

3. The process which comprises treating silk in a hot water bath to remove some of the gum from the silk into the bath, and thereafter adding to the bath an alkaline oxidizing agent and an agent resisting damaging action of the alkali upon the silk and bleaching and further degumming the silk in the bath.

4. The process which comprises treating silk in a. hot water bath to remove some of the gum from the silk into the bath, and thereafter adding to the bath sodium peroxide andsodium chloride and bleaching and further degumming the silk in the bath.

5. The process which comprises treating.

silk in a hot water bath to remove some of the gum from the silk into the bath, thereafter adding an alkaline oxidizing agent to the bath and bleaching and further degumming the silk in the bath, andwthereafter acidifying the bath.

6. The process which comprises treating silk in a hot water bath to remove some of the gum from the silk into the bath, and thereafter adding an alkaline oxidizing agent and a dye to the bath and bleaching, dyeing and further degumming the silk in the bath.

7. The process which comprises degummingand bleaching silk in a bath to which an alkaline oxidizing agent has been added, the bath containing silk gum when the alkaline oxidizing agent is added thereto.

8. The process which comprises degumming and bleaching silk in a bath to which peroxide of sodium has been added, the bath containing silk gum when the peroxide of sodium is added thereto.

9. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to a degumming and bleaching bath to which a dye has been added, whereby the silk is degummed, bleached and dyed in the same bath.

10. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to a hot bath 1 having added thereto an alkaline oxidizing agent and a dye'which is not substantially operatively affected by said agent to degurlri, bleach and dye the silk in the same 11. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to a hot bath having added thereto an alkaline oxidizing agent, an agent resisting damaging action of alkali upon the silk fibre and a dye which is not substantially operatively affected by said alkaline oxidizing agent to degum, bleach and dye the silk in the same bath.

12. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to 'a hot bath having added thereto an alkaline oxidizing agent, asoluble salt of an alkali metal and a dye which is not substantially operatively aiiected by said alkaline oxidizing agent to degum, bleach and dye the silk in the same bath.

13. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to a hot bath having added thereto peroxid of sodium and a dye which is not substantially operatively affected by the bath to degum, bleach and dye the silk in the same bath.

14. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to a hot bath having added thereto peroxid of sodium, a soluble salt of an alkali metal and a dye which is not substantially operatively affected by the bath to degum, bleach and dye the silk in the same bath.

15. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to a hot bath having added thereto peroxid of sodium, sodium chlorid and a basic dye to degum, bleach and dye" the silk in the same bath.

16. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to a hot bath having added thereto an alkaline oxidizing agent and a basic dye to degum, bleach and dye the silk in the same bath.

17. The process of treating silk which comprises subjecting the same to a degumming bath to which a dye has been added to'degum and dye the silk in the same bath, 

